Biggles – Secret Agent/plot
Chapter 1: An Alarming Proposition Colonel Raymond has a difficult mission for Biggles. A noted scientist, Professor Max Beklinder, had disappeared while traveling to the south of France on holiday. News reports later said he had died in a car accident and had been buried at the village in Unterhamstadt in Lucrania, his country of birth and now under the domination of Germany. Later an agent reported seeing Beklinder with the Chief of the Lucranian secret police in the capital. The British authorities needed to know if Beklinder was still alive. He was an expert in explosives and had latterly been developing a powerful nerve gas which could not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. But several British intelligence agents sent in to confrim the reports had already disappeared without trace. The only way achieve the mission seemed to be by parachute drop into Lucrania and then dig up the grave to make the professor was really buried. Chapter 2: Ways and Means Algy and Ginger agree to go without hesitaition and the three work out a plan. Biggles and Ginger parachute in to Unterhamstadt and then pose as backpackers on a walking tour. They would carry a messenger pigeon and some spades which they would hide before checking in at the village hotel. Algy would return periodically by air and watch for signals. They would have at most 7 days on the ground. Hotels must report new arrivals to the secret police every week ... and the chief of the secret police was none other than their old adversary Erich von Stalhein! Chapter 3: A Drop in the Dark Biggles and co. select a small airfield in France as a jump-off point and prepare to depart. They have some trouble getting rid of an inquisitive French mechanic, Brogart, who insists on helping them start up but eventually manage to make him go away. The flight into Lucrania is uneventful and Biggles and Ginger drop into Unterhamstadt. They hide their equipment and make their way into the village. Nearing the village, Biggles stops at the house of Simon Kretzner, the local Jewish undertaker. If anyone knows about a burial, it must be him. Chapter 4: The Jew of Unterhamstadt Kretzner is at first reluctant to talk but submits to a large bribe. He says he did not handle the body of Beklinder. His son, Simon, also an undertaker, had been summoned in the middle of the night and taken to Room 17 of the Kleishausen Hotel to take measure the body. The coffin had to be delivered the next day. After that his son simply disappeared. His wife Greta had however seen the funeral, a secret affair at the break of dawn when the coffin was taken and placed in the vault on the western side of the village church. Having got what they want, Biggles and Ginger leave. On the way out they meet a girl at the door. What does she want? Chapter 5: Under the Castle Walls Biggles and Ginger check in at the Kleishausen. The proprietor gives a momentary start when Biggles suggests having Room 17--Biggles says it's his lucky number. They get Room 18 instead. At dinner, they are surprised to see the girl they met at Simon Kretzner's, also, it seemed, a guest in the hotel. On a stroll after dinner, Biggles and Ginger make their way to the castle. Biggles thought it was a ruin and deserted, and so he gets a shock when Ginger, looking over the wall, reports seeing a Morris Ten--the same kind of car Beklinder was driving! Biggles decides they must first return to the hotel and make a pretence of going to bed before exploring further that night. Chapter 6: What Happened at the Vault Leaving the hotel again, Biggles and Ginger explore the vault of the church and discover Beklinder's coffin is filled with old books! Emerging from the vault, they get a fright when they hear a scream and see a white shape drift across the tombstones. But Biggles is certain it's not a ghost. There are footprints and the shape also screamed. Getting back to the hotel, they notice that the girl is watching them. Biggles wants to explore Room 17 but when Ginger goes to steal the key, he finds it missing. They watch the corridor quietly. It turns out that the girl had taken the key and was exploring the room herself. Chapter 7: Strange Birds in the Forest Later that night, Biggles and Ginger are awakened by tapping sounds coming from Room 17. Ginger peers through a hole in the wall which Biggles had drilled earlier. It's the girl! She's tapping the floor and soon discovers a trapdoor. The next morning, Biggles encounters the chambermaid and, seizing a moment when she leaves the girl's room open, he sneaks inside for a quick look around. He finds a book, "A History of Unterhamstadt from the Earliest Times". The girl had made a pencil mark on a paragraph stating a legend that a tunnel connected the castle with the hotel and the Monastery of San Stefan. After breakfast, Biggles and Ginger head for the forest to release the pigeon to carry their report to Raymond. But Biggles soon has a feeling that they are being followed. Hiding in a dell hole, they see Lucranian stormtroopers and an alsatian dog combing the forest, apparently looking for something. Soon the dog discovers the pigeon basket. Suddenly the soldiers spot the girl running away from the spot and begin shooting. To Biggles, the loss of the pigeon was a blow, but at least the coincidental appearance of the girl had led the soldiers to connect the bird with her and not them. Biggles and Ginger go to a neighbouring village to send Raymond a postcard with a cryptic message before returning to the hotel. Chapter 8: Enter Von Stalhein Stormtroopers surround the hotel but it turns out they are there to arrest the girl. During the scuffle with the guards, her wig falls off, revealing that she is in fact a young boy. The face seems familiar--he looks like Professor Beklinder! He has a son? The soldiers leave and the crisis appears to be over but now who should enter the hotel but the Chief of the Lucranian secret police, none other than von Stalhein himself! He fences verbally with Biggles, obviously not believing the backpackers' holiday tale. Von Stalhein leaves, telling Biggles that he is staying at the castle, and he expects they would meet again shortly. Biggles tells Ginger to move quickly. They have less than 5 minutes to disappear before von Stalhein returns with his troops. The best way is through the trapdoor in Room 17. It must be a tunnel which leads to the castle--the last place von Stalhein would think to look for them. Chapter 9: A Grim Discovery Biggles and Ginger go through a tunnel which ends in a locked heavy door. They must be at the castle but can go further. They hear footsteps approaching so they scramble onto a cavity atop a brick wall and discover another tunnel. This one ends in a long corridor with wood paneling on one side. Ginger accodentaly a small trapdoor in the wood panels and looks in. It's a brightly lit room. Von Stalhein is there with two soldiers and a prisoner--Algy! Chapter 10: Von Stalhein Plays a Trump Card Von Stalhein gloats to Algy about how he had managed to trick him to land. Beklinder is brought in next. He had apparently been set up in a laboratory in the castle to continue his research under duress. He shows von Stalhein a little bottle of a very powerful explosive which he had created in the lab, threatening to drop it whereupon it would detonate. However von Stalhein plays his trump card and produces a hostage--his son--the "girl" had just been captured at the hotel. Beklinder becomes resigned and agrees to do what is needed of him. Chapter 11: Desperate Measures Biggles and Ginger continue along the corridor and eventually emerge inside the castle. Wandering around, they end up on the roof of the keep. There is a commotion in the courtyard below. A car has been brought out. From the voices of the soldiers, Biggles learns that von Stalhein is planning to take the Beklinders away. They must prevent this, so they work loose a large rock on the roof and drop it over the car. Von Stalhein has another car brought out--the Professor's Morris. With a rope Biggles and Ginger let themselves out of the castle parapet walls and make for the access road to set up an ambush. Chapter 12: Forestalled Biggles and Ginger hijack the car and make their escape with the Professor and his son, heading for Algy's plane. But soon they hear it taking off. Von Stalhein has been too quick for them and has the plane removed beyond their clutches. But Biggles is not ready to give up yet. With a map, he chooses another landing field and tells the others to be there at twenty past midnight. He would go and steal a plane from somewhere and pick them up. Chapter 13: Ginger Goes Back It's still early so Ginger and the Beklinders shelter in the church vault on the way to the landing ground. Beklinder explains how he had been trick by Lucranian agents. They told him he had a son, born after he left the country and then arranged a meeting in Unterhamstadt, a mere trick to get him into their hands. His son, Gustav, recounts how he had read, by coincidence, a news story about his father meeting a car accident in Unterhamstadt. He had then been captured and kept in an asylum by the secret police, but had escaped and made his way here hoping to learn more about his father. The professor now surprises Ginger by revealing that a tunnel leads from the church vault into the main tunnel. There's time and the means to rescue Algy! Ginger tells the Beklinders to get to the rendezvous on their own and makes his way through the tunnel back to the castle. Reaching the wood panelling outside von Stalhein's room, he forces it open and enters. He discovers the Professor's bottle of explosive, picks it up and then has to hide when he hears footsteps. By coincidence von Stalhein enters the room and summons Algy. Ginger holds up the party and he and Algy escape down the tunnel to the church vault. Emerging from it, Ginger tosses the Professor's bottle, setting off a mighty explosion which demolishes the church as well as their pursuers. Ginger and Algy catch up with the Beklinders who are making their way to the landing field. They get there safely but the appointed time comes but there is no sign of Biggles. Meanwhile they hear the sounds of pursuing stormtroopers and the baying of their dogs getting closer. Chapter 14: Biggles Goes to Prenzel Although Biggles didn't tell Ginger, he actually had a plan. He knew a British Planet Airways mail plane left the capital Prenzel everyday at midnight, so tearing through road blocks and shaking off his pursuers he makes it to the airport. He tricks the two pilots away from the plane and steals it with the wireless operator still on board. Chapter 15: Reunion Biggles gets to the landing ground just in time. Algy, Ginger and the Beklinders get on board under hail of fire and Biggles makes a hasty take off. Keeping low all the way, he evades the frontier search lights, anti aircraft fire and pursuing fighters and heads for England. In the meantime he sends a radio message asking Raymond to meet them at Croydon. Conclusion The Beklinders are received by a delighted Raymond at Croydon while Biggles and co. hurry home for some much needed sleep. Category:Plot summaries